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Funerals and Pre-arrangements
during the Pandemic
How to plan, what to expect, and things you
should know in the event of the death.
Mount Royal Commemorative Services 165+ year old not-for profit company
Perpetual cemetery with on-site funeral Complex
Four locations:
❖Mount Royal Cemetery and Funeral Complex
❖Belvedere Cemetery and Funeral Complex
❖Des Trembles Cemetery and Funeral Complex
❖M.A. Blyther Bernier (1-800 cremation)
Who am I?
❖ Danny Hum
❖ 30 years + working in non – profit organizations
❖ 25 years + working with Mount Royal Cemetery
❖ 15 years planning funerals with clients
I hope my experience can help you plan ahead.
Purpose today:
❖ Hope that you see the importance of planning ahead
❖ Talk about steps that occur at the death of a loved one
❖ How funerals have changed during the pandemic
❖ Questions
Why pre-plan?
Main reasons people cite for pre-arranging their own funerals:
❖Have the funeral “I WANT”
❖Alleviate the “BURDEN” from family members (on the worst day of your
life having to make these decisions and finding a way to pay for them)
❖Save money over time by freezing the cost of services to today’s price.
❖Peace of mind, in knowing that the wheels will be set in motion with one
easy phone call.
Funeral Planning
Main Prompting reasons (why people pre-arrange):
❖ Getting affairs in order, In the process of planning a last will & testament
(questions about final disposition, power of attorney, etc…).
❖ Someone close has been diagnosed with an illness
❖ Had to plan a funeral (having to plan for someone else’s funeral services
usually makes us understand just how many things need to be looked after
and prompts us to alleviate the burden on our families).
Affairs in Order
❖ Last Will and Testaments (need to appoint executors, decide on division of property,
sometimes address final disposition i.e. family lot, cremation vs. burial)
❖ **Important – Wills – generally not seen until after the funeral services have been rendered
and burial has taken place.
❖ Power of attorney/Mandate
❖ Life insurance
❖ Estate Planning / Retirement
❖ Should add…Planning one’s funeral services and expenses
Illness or the death of a loved one
Illness
❖ People are trying to get their affairs in order
❖ Trying to work out what will happen during the illness and take steps to control
Recent death of a loved one
❖ Person understands the fragility of our life
❖ Person has experienced how much needs to be looked after in the event of a death
❖ Person want to prevent others from having to experience the same
First DecisionChoose what ?
Cremation vs. Burial
Traditional Burial Cremation
❖ Tradition
❖Religion
❖Personal preference
❖Family lot/space
Religion
❖ Some religious beliefs dictate whether we are permitted to be cremated or
buried.
❖ Up until the 1960’s, most Catholics didn’t cremate
❖Most Protestants have chosen cremation in Montreal since 1901 when
Mount Royal Cemetery built the first crematorium in Canada.
❖ Most Orthodox families still believe in casket burial only
❖Whereas Hindu’s and Buddhist's prefer Cremation.
Tradition
❖ For the most part people born in the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s still prefer a
casket burial and adhere more closely to tradition.
❖ More likely to choose a 2 or 3 day visitation prior to service and casket
burial.
❖ Then back to the immediate family’s home, restaurant, or to the church
basement for a reception.
Do we have space for a casket burial?
❖Does the family own a burial plot/ grave?
(look through pertinent documents, ask questions to immediate family members, etc…)
❖Am I permitted to be buried there?
(how are you related to the owner of the grave?, who did the owner “will” the property to? Etc…)
❖Is there space for a casket?
(most graves contain room for…)
(if space is an issue, some families will opt for cremation)
Cemetery Arrangements: Space Left?
❖ Few cemeteries offer true perpetuity
❖ (99 yr terms)
❖ Check on rights and space to be buried (cemeteries must take instruction
from the owner of a grave OR their legal representative by virtue of the last
will and testament).
❖ Pre-pay burial fees (make sure it means the place is reserved)
❖ How much for memorialization? ( inscription/ monument)
Costs
❖Financial aspect can greatly influence our final decision.
❖Two parts to the equation to consider:
Cemetery Costs VS Funeral Costs
Step 2 What kind of Service do I want?
Questions to ask yourself…
❖About Viewing or Visitation:
❖Do I want visitation with the casket or the urn?
❖(How do I feel about visitation? Why could it be important maybe even necessary for my family?)
❖How many days do I think my family will need?
(1, 2, 3 days, an hour before the service?)
❖Casket open? Or Casket Closed?
Visitation
An opportunity for family and friends to pay
their respects
Things to consider:
❖Having a visitation and having time with the deceased after the death, helps
us to grieve.
❖Direct cremation does not allow us to go through the same process
❖Do family and friends live far away? Would it be important for them to see
you one more time
Online funerals
New tendency is for
individuals to participate
in funerals remotely
About funeral services:
❖Is it important for me to have service in my church?
(if yes, and I have chosen to have a funeral service with my casket present, will need Lead car, Hearse and pallbearers)
❖Can my priest/ minister come to the chapel?
(may or may not perform the rites normally performed in church)
❖Do I want a religious service?
(celebrant services do exist, otherwise family can organise a service, usually seen with cremation, due to more time)
Traditional ProcessionLead car, followed by Limousines, Hearse, family members and Friends
(necessary to get a casket to cemetery)
After the service…
❖With a casket, burial normally occurs right away.
(procession follows to gravesite)
❖With cremation, the cremation would normally occur after the service or if the cremation has already taken place, burial can occur right away.
(committal, cremation, flexibility-burial at later date)
After service in Church or
Chapel, procession follows to
cemetery for burial
Reception?
Restaurant
❖Make reservations
❖Need to know how many people
will be attending
❖Can you bring your own wine?
❖Parking
Funeral Complex
❖Planned by funeral director
❖Need approximate number
❖Bring your own wine
❖Parking not an issue
❖Convenient
Reception Room
New Trends
❖ Tend to want to break free from tradition and customs
❖Want funeral services “their” way, customized and personal
❖ Choose to look at funeral rites as a Celebration of life
❖ Choose more often cremation
(reasons include: belief that it is cheaper or easier, because we are a mobile
society, family is often scattered in different provinces or countries, an urn is
more mobile)
Personalized funerals
Family and friends bring in
personal items to help
commemorate the deceased
(pay tribute to them in a
personal & memorable way)
New Trends Cont’d
Want a planned meaningful tribute to their loved one, they include:
❖ Eulogy’s
❖ Music
❖ Flowers
❖ Pictures or painting
❖Meaningful objects to the deceased or that represent the deceased
Memorial Services
Gatherings in memory of loved ones, after
the funeral services have taken place
Cemetery costs Casket
❖High end: (Accommodates 2 caskets)
Burial rights: $9885.00
Foundation: $785.00
Monument: $ 3,850.00 (average)
Wkday burial fees: $1,340.00
Total: $15860.00 (not incl. taxes)
Monthly amount: $304.00/60 months pre-need
Cemetery cost Casket cont’d
❖Low end:
Burial rights: $4,780.00
Foundation: $785.00
Monument: $1,765.00 / avg.
Wkday burial fee: $ 1,340.00
Total: $8670.00 (not incl. taxes)
Monthly amount of : $166.15 / 60 months no interest
Cemetery costs for urn burial
❖Average
❖Burial rights (2 – 4 urns): $ 3795.00
❖Foundation: $785.00
❖Monument: $ 2,815.00 (avg)
❖Wkday urn burial fee: $575.00 / pers.
❖Total: $ 7970.00 (not incl. taxes)
❖Monthly payment of $135.30/each for 60 months no interest.
Cemetery cost for urn
❖Niches vary in size and type and prices will depend on these factors as well as their location.
❖Niches on the low end:
❖Starting at: $3400.00 ( double marble), $ 5700.00 ( double glass )
❖Lettering on niche: $ 6.75/ letter or $150.00 (avg)
❖Wkday inurnment: $ 365.00
Step 3Choosing Casket & Urns
Wood Casket
❖Hardwoods
(usually under $ 2,700)
❖Maple
(starts around $3,500)
❖Oak
(starts around $3,700)
❖Cherry
(starts around $4,700)
Why?
❖Quality of craftmanship – not all caskets are created equal
❖Type of wood
❖Handles
❖Linning
❖Bed
Metal Casket
❖Steel
(starting around $ 3,200 to $4,500)
❖Stainless Steel
(starting around $6,100)
❖Copper
(starting around $8,050)
❖Bronze
(starting at $9,000)
Metal Casket
❖Different gauges of steel are of
different thicknesses
❖Some have rounded corners, some are
welded
❖Some materials are less likely to rust
❖Some, can last forever…
❖Built for durability
What about cremation?
❖Any wood casket can be cremated
❖Cremation occur one at a time
❖Even for cremation the body must be in a casket or cremation container
❖Rental casket do exist
And urns?
❖Wood
❖Marble
❖Ceramic
❖Steel
❖Stainless steel
❖Bronze
Urns
Cremation vs burial
❖What’s more expensive?
❖Depends, let’s see why…
❖How many people believe cremation is less expensive “cheaper” than
traditional burial?
Which one’s more expensive
Services for Burial
❖Low end
❖$ 9200.00
❖High end
❖$ 15200.00
Services for Cremation
❖Low end
❖$ 4010.00
❖High end
❖ $ 16246.00
Step 4Extras
Extras
❖Other services:
❖Flowers
❖Obituary notices
❖Catering
❖(musicians, signers, etc…)
Extras
Flowers On line obituaries and on line memorials
Contracts
Each should have a
description and a
price beside it.
Important Facts for your protection:
❖Signing of the contract:Things to looks for
❖Detailed contract, line by line
❖Go through the entire contract
❖Make sure payment terms and interest rates are clearly indicated
❖Get their refund policy in writing (if it’s not on the contract)
❖Things you should know…
(cancellation within 30 days without penalty, goods being offered at time of need)
Pre-Arrangement Regulations
❖ Not legal to solicit by phone without having a service contract or having
been asked for info.
❖ In home meeting should never be longer than 2 hours
❖ You have 30 days by law to cancel – NO PENALTY
❖ After 30 days 10% penalty (except at Mount Royal, no penalty)
❖ Contract must be itemized!!!!
❖ And must have consumer protection laws on the back.
After the signature:
❖Copies of all your signed documents
❖Receipts
❖Pre-arrangement cards (optional)
Good to know:
❖ Funeral home MUST place funds that you remit to them in Trust within 30
days of signing
❖ Depositary (trust) has 45 days in which to send you confirmation of deposit
(only represents initial deposit)
❖ Call or visit website of “L’Office de la Protection du consomateur” if you
have questions or concerns
❖ Laws in place to protect the consumer
How to Pay?
❖ Deposit
❖Monthly / Yearly payments
❖Most offer up to 5 years without interest
Financial Advantages to Pre-Planning?
❖ Pre-arrange funeral services can be paid over time
❖ No interest
❖ Cost frozen (average fun. costs double every 10 yrs)
Documentation Checklist
❖While planning ahead, it’s important
to know where the following
documents are:
1. LEGAL
☐ Last Will & Testament
☐ Trusts
☐ Birth/Adoptions Certificates
☐ Immigration and citizenship documents
☐ Marriage License
☐ Separation Agreement
☐ Divorce Agreement
☐ Child support documents
☐ Articles of Incorporation
☐ Shareholders Agreement
☐ Partnership Agreement
☐ Franchise Agreements
1. BANKING/FINANCIAL
☐ Safety Deposit Box Key
☐ Bank Statements, Cheque Books, Registers, Bank Cards
☐ Credit Card Statements/notify credit card companies
☐ Mortgage Statement/Mortgage Insurance
☐ Reverse Mortgage Statements
☐ Line of Credit Statement
☐ Loan Agreements
☐ Investments/Stocks and Bond Certificates
☐ Notify credit agency
☐ Notify Life insurance companies/benefits
1. GOVERNMENT/BENEFITS
☐ Social Insurance Card
☐ Passport
☐ Health card (funeral home normally looks after)
☐ Driver’s License
☐ Permanent Residence Card
☐ Tax Returns (provincial & federal)
☐ Firearm registry
2. EMPLOYMENT/PENSION
☐ Military Service records
☐ Employment Agreement or Contract
☐ Group Benefits coverage
☐ Pension (provincial & federal)
☐ Union
☐ Volunteer Bureau
☐ Special Benefits/CSST/Disability Statement
1. UTILITIES TO NOTIFY
☐ Hydro Quebec/gas/oil
☐ Telephone
☐ Cell Phone Provider
☐ Internet
☐ Contractor (snow clearing, grass cutting etc.)
☐ Canada Post
☐ Alarm Company (if applicable)
☐ Credit Agency
☐ Home and Car insurance (if applicable)
2. FUNERAL/CEMETERY
☐ Death Certificate
☐ Funeral Home Proof of Death
☐ Cemetery location/Burial
☐ Mausoleum/Cemetery Documentation (Declarations)
☐ Monument Order
☐ Pre-arranged funeral service
1. REAL ESTATE
☐ Titles & Deeds
☐ Property Tax Statement
☐ Property Lease Agreement
☐ Notify Landlord and tenant
☐ Time Share Contracts
Aftercare Program – We follow up!
❖Our new Aftercare program assists our clients organize their paperwork after a loved one has died.
❖Facilitates conversations about pre-planning.
❖Helps our families save money on notarial/accounting fees.
❖Provides resources for funeral and cemetery issues, resources for grief counselling and local donation pick-up.
Who to call?
❖If the death occurs at a hospital:
❖Hospital will inform family and advise the family to call a funeral home
❖Call funeral home and arrange transportation of body and make an
appointment with a funeral director.
Who to call?
❖If the death occurs at home:
❖Call 911 immediately
❖Doctor/Physician from Urgence Sante will arrive to attest to the death.
(signs attestation of death – to be given to the funeral director)
❖Call Funeral Home – they will ensure transportation of the body and
arrange a meeting between you and the funeral director
Important information to bring
to funeral home
❖ Information about deceased :
❖ Family & given name at birth❖ Place & date of birth❖ Full name of parents (mother’s maiden name)
❖ Social Insurance Number❖ Medicare Card Number (if possible, please bring actual card)
• Things to think about: number of people might be expecting (for the living)/ time and date of service (church/cemetery factor)
Copy of an Act of Death Certificate
❖What is an Act of Death?
• An act of death is a document confirming someone's death. In Quebec, a government agency called
the Directeur de l'état civil (registrar of civil status) draws up the act of death.
• Like acts of birth, marriage, and civil union, acts of death are entered in a register kept by the
Directeur. This register is a big database administered by the Quebec government that has essential
information about every Quebec resident.
What is the purpose of a death certificate?
❖A death certificate does these things:
• legally establishes a person's death
• lets the estate of the dead person be settled
• ends various benefits and government programs such as health insurance, automobile insurance,
pensions, and social assistance
• sets the date from which the surviving spouse is entitled to receive benefits, notably the Quebec
pension plan
Last Will & Testament
❖Three types are recognized:
• Holograph wills
• wills made in the presence of witnesses
• Notarial wills
Holograph Will
❖A holograph must be entirely written by you and signed by you.
❖This is the simplest kind of will, because there are only two requirements:
❖ They must be written by hand, and not on a computer or using another mechanical means.
Disabled people can write using their mouths or feet.
❖ They must be signed by the person making the will.
Witnessed Will
❖As the name suggests, this kind of will must be signed in front
of two witnesses together at the same time.• Anyone 18 or older can be a witness. But a person who will benefit from the will cannot be a witness.
• The witnesses must confirm that it is your will and your signature, and sign the will after you sign.
• A will prepared by a lawyer is considered to be a will made in the presence of two witnesses.
• This kind of will can be handwritten, typed on a typewriter, or written with a computer. If it is written on a
computer, only a printed and signed version has legal value.
Notarized Will
❖ As the name suggests, a notarial will is written by a notary.
❖ Notaries can write a will that follows the legal rules, that reflects your wishes and takes into
account your family and financial situation.
❖ Here are the main rules:
• A notarial will must be written in English or French.
• The will must indicate the place and date it was made.
• You must sign it before the notary and a witness. Sometimes two witnesses are necessary.
You don't have to worry about getting a witness: the notary takes care of this.
• The will must then be read to you so that you can declare that is reflects your last wishes. The reading can
take place in the presence of the witness, or if you prefer, in the presence of the notary only.
How do you know if there's a will or if the will
you found is the most recent one?
❖Follow these steps:• Begin by looking through the deceased's personal belongings.
• Next, check whether the deceased had a safety deposit box at a financial institution where she may have kept her will.
• Complete the Will Searches
Will Searches
❖ In all cases (you think there's no will or you found one but are not sure if it's the most
recent one), you are legally required to search two registries of wills:
1) Registre des dispositions testamentaires de la Chambre des notaires du Quebec
2) Registre des Testaments du Barreau du Quebec
These searches will give you two certificates: one from the Chambre des notaires (notaries association) and one from
the Barreau du Québec (lawyers association). These certificates give information about the most recent will registered
by a notary or lawyer. If no will was registered, the certificates will say so.
What happens if there is no Will?
❖Legal Heirs must be identified
❖Identify the amount each heir is entitled to
• The rules on how to settle a succession are the same whether or not the deceased had a
will.
• Settling a succession means transferring all the property, rights and obligations of the
deceased to those entitled to inherit
If there is no will who legally inherits in
Quebec?
What are the advantages and disadvantages
of notarial wills?
• Advantages:
• They are harder to challenge. This is because a notary has made sure of your identity and that you agreed to the will. The notary also makes sure the will follows all the legal rules.
• You get the benefit of the advice of a legal professional.
• They don't have to be probated after you die. Probated means to be made official.
• They are easy to find after your death because the notary keeps the original and files it in theRegistre des dispositions testamentaires de la Chambre des notaires du Québec (a registry kept by the notaries association of Quebec).
• Disadvantages:
• You have to pay a fee to a notary.
What are the advantages and disadvantages
of a will make in front of witnesses?
• Advantages:
• The biggest advantage is the cost. This kind of will can be free if you don't use a lawyer. But if you do use a lawyer, therewill be fees.
• You can ask a lawyer to register the will in the Registre des dispositions testamentaires du Barreau du Québec (bar of Quebec registry). It will then be easier to trace.
• Disadvantages:
• This type of will must be probated after you die. Probate means to make official. This involves costs and takes time.
• They can be lost, destroyed or damaged.
• By creating this kind of will yourself, you don't get legal advice. Advice can help you think about situations you haven't anticipated. For example: if you write a second will, you have to think about cancelling the first one.
• Problems of interpretation: legal professionals can anticipate these problems and write a will to avoid them.For example: if a will says that "all the personal belongings of the deceased will go to her favorite niece", the meaning of "personal belongings" and "favorite niece" are unclear.
What are the advantages and disadvantages
of holograph wills?
• Advantages:
• They can be made anywhere at any time.
• They don't cost anything. You don't have to pay professional fees.
• Disadvantages:
• They must be probated after you die. Probated means to be made official. This involves costs and delays.
• They can be lost, destroyed or damaged.
• By creating this kind of will yourself, you don't get legal advice. Advice can help you think about situations you haven't anticipated.For example: if you write a second will, you have to think about cancelling the first one.
• Problems of interpretation: legal professionals can anticipate these problems and write a will to avoid them.For example: if a will says that "all the personal belongings of the deceased will go to her favorite niece", the meaning of "personal belongings" and who is the "favorite niece" are unclear.
Price of Will Searches
Both will search requests can be done by anyone – it is open to the public.
Administration Fees:
$23.00 – Chambre des Notaires
$17.25 - $23.00 – Barreau du QC
*Notaries & Lawyers Fees – Between $125 - $400
